UK Stocks-Factors to watch on February 3 (updated)
03/02/2026 07:44
Adds new items, updates futures Feb 3 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Tuesday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.1%. * ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca AZN.L said the U.S. health regulator has rejected its application for a self-injectable version of lupus drug Saphnelo, pushing back the approval timeline for a possible approval to the first half of 2026. * PLUS500: Plus500 PLUSP.L said it had launched event-based prediction markets on its U.S. retail platform through a partnership with Kalshi. * BP: UK and European pension funds and activist shareholder ACCR are pushing BP BP.L to publish more information to prove its strategy of shifting spending from low-carbon to oil and gas projects will boost shareholder value. * GLENCORE: Glencore GLEN.L is close to engaging Citi as its lead investment bank on its potential acquisition by Rio Tinto RIO.L, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. * FCA: Britain's financial watchdog said that consumers who pay monthly for their insurance are saving around 157 million pounds ($214.93 million) per year, after more than half the insurance firms reviewed in its market study reduced their premium finance costs. * OIL: Oil prices fell as market participants weighed the possibility of a de-escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions, while a firmer dollar placed greater downside pressure on prices. * METALS: Copper gained a foothold after plunging in the last two sessions, as supply concerns and demand prospects offered support to the red metal. * GOLD: Gold rose, rebounding from its steepest two-day drop in decades after Kevin Warsh was nominated as the next U.S. Federal Reserve chair and a hike in CME margin requirements put the brakes on the metals' record rally. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/ TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times PRESS/FT > Other business headlines PRESS/GB (Compiled by Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru) ((Neeshita.Beura@thomsonreuters.com))